Agnes Clark Mudie Geertz

Agnes Clark Mudie Geertz, “Abbie” or “Granny Bear”, was a remarkable woman, loved by many people. She was born in a house on Mt. Troy on October 7, 1930, and she passed away on July 30, 2024, at the age of 93. She lived in the Pittsburgh area for her whole life, eventually raising a family in Monroeville. She had a great education, graduating from Pitt in 1952 and then obtaining a master’s degree in elementary education. She was amazing, quoting Shakespeare and reciting innumerable poems she had memorized. She was always pointing out types of trees, types of pillars (as if anyone cared!), and she even could recite the entire Gettysburg address right up until the end. She sang so many songs from the 30s and 40s. Some of the songs were just pretty awful, but especially the alma mater of Beaver Falls High School, where she graduated in 1948. She hated high school and hated Beaver Falls, but she sang that stupid alma mater for 50+ years. Just, WHY? Abbie was always correcting everyone’s grammar! This “interesting” and “irritating” hobby was passed down to her children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren. We all know you never say, “I should have went to the store.” (“I should have gone” is the grammatically correct way to say it.) Abbie taught for school for 9 years, grades kindergarten, 3rd and 5th grades. She married Dad, Lloyd Malcolm Geertz on August 22, 1958, at Concord Methodist Church in Beaver Falls, PA. They had two children, Amy and Bob. She was a homemaker and Dad was an optical engineer who built and designed telescopes. Dad passed away on Valentine’s Day in 1992 at age 64. Abbie was very active. She played tennis and her nickname was “Spike” because of her prowess hitting balls at the net. She swam laps in the summers at Eastgate Pool and she swam at the YMCA in the winters. She played volleyball. We went tent camping, canoeing, and sailing. We all loved camping at Deer Valley YMCA family camp since the 1970s. Another treasured family tradition was our annual trip to Overly’s Country Christmas. She loved sitting near the fire drinking hot chocolate. Abbie had a reputation of being an animal lover. That meant people just knew they could dump “unwanted” animals on our porch. Oh boy! We took in every stray who needed a home and sometimes we had 5 cats at a time. Dad reluctantly went along with it. We remember Mom reading an ad in the paper. “Awwweeee, Lloyd, here’s a house-broken shihtzu”. Dad, who usually never swore, said, “We already have a shih-broken house zoo”. Abbie laughed about that for 50 years! Bob and Granny Bear wanted a dog, so they showed up at Animal Protectors and told them they wanted “a dog that no one else wants”. Enter Matilda. Granny Bear loved telling that story. Because she loved that story, if anyone wants to make a donation in Abbie’s name, in lieu of flowers, people can donate to Animal Protectors in New Kensington. They are a no-kill shelter. Or people can donate to a charity of their choice. Abbie developed Alzheimer’s Disease a few years ago, and she lived half the time with Bob and half the time with me. Alzheimer’s was a challenge, but I dealt with it in my own way, by living in denial. I didn’t want to talk much about it or think much about it. Her doctor recommended I read a book on the horrible disease. I bought the book and then I realized I don’t want to read it. I couldn’t even open it. I would simply throw her walker into the back seat of my car, and I took her everywhere. We visited museums, the zoo, parks, restaurants, friends and family, Kennywood etc. I focused on what we could do, not what we couldn’t do. Mom knew she had Alzheimer's, but she always knew Bobby and I, as well as all the dogs’ names. She tried to remember her 5 great grandchildren’s birthdays. She had written all the birthdays down and she carried that paper in her purse. We would discuss all their birthdays, sometimes several times a day. She would say, “Mason’s birthday is in March and Mariah’s birthday is in August”. She really tried to beat Alzheimer's. Abbie loved her extended family and friends. She loved vacations. We went to Ocean City one year and she talked about the “hotty” lifeguards who rescued her. She enjoyed playing the piano and she even taught piano to several students including Laura Hanlon. She played the piano for a neighborhood chorus, the Junior Singers of Eastgate I directed. Mom loved playing Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble and so much more. The last time she played Scrabble, on June 16, she put the word “sluts” on the board! Not just one slut, but multiple sluts! Sadly, it wasn’t a very high-scoring word. (All the letters were just 1 point each.) But it DEFINITELY was the most creative word. Bob claims to have won that game, but I disagree. I say Mom won with THAT word. Abbie was so full of life. She made lifelong friends, including neighbors and people from AYH (American Youth Hostels where she met Lloyd on a canoe trip) and Sylvan Canoe Club. She loved folk dancing and square dancing, and she took Bob and I when we were very little. We were the only kids there, and we loved it. Mom took us to Holiday Sands, alake to swim in, and she took us to breakfast with Santa Claus and we got to shop for Christmas presents in the little store. No parents allowed. My parents gave us “mystery trips” where one person would plan to take the family somewhere. It was a mystery where we were going. We took a train across the country when I was 7. It took 3 days. Fun times! Abbie is survived by her 2 children; Amy Louise Geertz Kriss and Robert Malcolm Geertz; 4 grandchildren, Keriann Michelle (Gary) Schoepke, Julia Emily Kriss, and Danielle Marie Geertz and Justin Huchok and 5 great grandchildren; Mariah, Mason, Maverick, Matthew, and Michael Schoepke. The dogs, Matilda, Pumpkin, Peanut Butter, Teddy and Rudy, and kitty Feta miss her too. Abbie was the last of her generation and she told many stories about growing up. I collected her stories in a book I called “Mudie Family History”. She was the biggest fan of my newsletter The Nuthouse News. Of course, she edited it, and corrected any grammatical errors! She loved that I created all those family newsletters that were a little bit funny. She encouraged me all the way! Abbie was the daughter of David William Mudie and Sadie Hartfeld Mudie. She had 2 older sisters, Elsie Louise Mudie Kennet and “Buffy”, Elizabeth Anna Mudie Bachman. She is survived by many loving nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews and many wonderful friends. Amy would love to collect stories about Abbie to add to the book. Email Amy at 22amylouise@gmail.com. Friends will be received Sunday, August 4, 2024, from 1 to 5 p.m. at GENE H. CORL FUNERAL CHAPEL INC. AND CREMATION SERVICES OF MONROEVILLE, 4335 Northern Pike (412-372-2100); and where a funeral service will be held on Monday, August 5, 2024, at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Restland Memorial Park. Condolences may be made at www.corlfuneralchapel.com